The Final Week Was A Busy One and Picture Worthy!

The laundry experience didn't go so well this week - the washer broke down while Benjamin's clothes were inside and they sat and sat and sat!  Yuck!

And now they hang and hang and hang.....drying by air takes forever!

A temple trip with one of their instructors - a pleasure to see this boy doing so many good things with every single minute of his day.

Another "small world surprise".....Taylor Bradshaw and Benjamin went to primary together in Beijing approximately a hundred years ago!  Sure enough, Taylor hits the MTC just prior to Benjamin's depature.  Taylor is headed to Taiwan.

The California gang is ready for departure on Wednesday!!

Flight plans in hand...a departure from the MTC at 4:50 a.m.

The supplies for candy sleds arrived safe and sound - super glue was sent instead of hot glue but other than that, all the fixings remained consistent with the family tradition.  Benjamin said that everyone loved the game.

Finished products and ready for racing.

They had the perfect idea to take a box apart and use it for the racing platform. So glad that they were able to use the MTC stairs to keep this tradition alive and well.

I love the blurs of candy speeding down the slide!

Departure time is getting close - YOU GOT THIS!!

It appears that he is ready and filled with enthusiasm - this place isn't far away but they are getting a treasure and part of my heart!

Another tradition was a Christmas Eve at the shooting range.  The District used water bottles and nerf guns to reenact this fun event.

Elder Anderson looks serious about shooting the next target.....

The favorite target of the day was .... Satan!  And next week, photos from the airplane!

Week Eight and Almost Headed Out!

NiHao Everyone!

What a crazy week this has been. Its hard to think that this time next week I will be on a bus headed to the airport. My time in the MTC has really flown by! My District received our Flight Plans Friday afternoon. It is really happening! I'm headed to the Oakland/San Francisco Mission with 8 others next week! 

As its been the week leading up to Christmas, my District has been doing well with following up on the idea to celebrate everyone's most beloved Christmas traditions. We went Caroling around the MTC on Thursday (in Chinese) and even got to stop in on the MTC Presidency and their wives. We also created and raced my family's beloved candy sleds (supplies lovingly donated by a fantastic woman) and also converted our classroom into a Nerf gun shooting range. Its been a really fun, but mixed-up Christmas this year. We have some very nice activities planned for this weekend, including a Nativity that my companions and I are participating in. I'm singing a solo of "O Holy Night!" Wish me luck!

We've also had some awesome classes and devotionals. There is a wing of the MTC that allows ACTUAL investigators to sign up to take the discussions from missionaries. Elder Anderson, Elder Thacker, and I made a couple of appointments with Linda, who's currently studying public health at BYU. It was so cool to be the first missionaries she ever heard the gospel from. She had a really strong desire to know the truth. Unfortunately, with all of the extra things going on that will happen this week as we prepare to depart the MTC, we will not get the chance to meet with her again. I learned how much the Spirit can influence a discussion and how powerful our message really is. Its amazing! I've had several opportunities to bear testimony in both English and Mandarin this week. Its comforting to know that regardless of the language we speak, the Spirit can speak to the hearts of everyone! I'll need to remember that my first few weeks in the field.

We've also had a few great devotionals. The Piano Guys, a well-known YouTube group (All RMs) gave our Sunday Devotional, playing some of their repetoire and bearing very powerful testimonies about their own missions and the life and reality of the Savior Jesus Christ. Tuesday night brought Elder Zwick of the 70, and he shared an experience that involved Elder Thacker! We got to meet him afterwards and shake his hand, which was pretty fun. 

I love you all, and wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Keep the Savior at you focus and love others just as He did, and your Holiday season will be blessed all the more. 

Love and Blessings,

 

Elder Butters (Bao ZhangLao)

Photos from Week Seven

A package arrived this week from Grandma and Grandpa Butters!

The District Christmas Tradition calendar - they will each share favorite Christmas traditions and then try to reenact portions of those traditions together!  Great idea and a perfect way to bring the spirit of family and Christmas to each other!

Sister Peterson in a reflective moment -

The District learning to do a Tahitian Dance - well, trying....

Elder Anderson is feeling the Tahitian music - Benjamin demonstrated the HaKa that he learned in High School - the sister from Tahiti said that it looks better when Polynesian people perform it.

Yesterday was Benjamin's day - he shared our bowling tradition and then they gathered random items to use so the district could play along!  So awesome!

They used water bottles for bowling pins, an orange was the ball and Benjamin said that everyone had a blast!!

Benjamin mid-bowl!  This makes my mother heart so happy to see him sharing the things he loves and having his friends love them too.

Seventh Letter - Only Two Weeks Until San Francisco!

NiHao JiaTing he PengYouMen!

Another busy busy week for me at the MTC. We're counting down to Christmas, and are now even counting down the days to departure from the MTC! It feels like just yesterday I started my crazy adventure here, and I cannot believe the finish line is in sight. Headed to Oakland/San Fran two weeks from today!

This week has been much of the same, except we've received a new district of six elders who we've all assisted in helping adjust and make the crazy change to missionary life. My class got the chance to share a lesson with each of them, one on one, and it turned into a very nice discussion on relying on the Lord and having the assurance that He will help us through our challenges. They are all doing great. I remember being in their shoes, and cannot believe I'm already at the other end of the spectrum!

We've had a lot of other teaching appointments, with one of our investigators being "baptized" this past Saturday. This has led us to some great discussions on doctrine in our classes, and setting up interviews and learning a little more about the inner workings of missionary work.

My District is VERY excited for Christmas! We've all been sharing our family traditions over the past few days, and have combined them into one massive Christmas celebration. We will be doing makeshift versions of our traditions throughout the next two weeks. We've started off with learning how to Tahitian dance and bowling with water bottles and an orange for our first couple of traditions! (Bowling and Pizza on Christmas Eve is something I will miss for the next two years)

The devotionals this week have been AWESOME! Sunday night, the BYU Mens Chorus gave a concert to us, and it was beautiful. The "Madrigal President" part of me was awakened again! I love choirs and music. I also got to run into a couple friends from the choir (Cole Davis), which is always fun. Tuesday Night brought Elder Jeffrey R. Holland to the MTC, and wow, he is a powerful speaker. He testified of the divinity and power in the Book of Mormon, as our primary tool in assisting others to come unto Christ. He also talked about the hard work that we as missionaries need to put in in order to be blessed to see improvement in ourselves and others. It was a great evening.

I love you all! Thank you for the packages, notes, prayers, thoughts, and well-wishes! I'm so grateful for the support you all show to me! 

Merry Christmas!

Elder Butters (Bao ZhangLao)

Between Departures (Tuesday Night) and Arrivals (Wednesday morning)

This is "alone" time in the MTC when half the zone leaves and the replacements don't arrive until tomorrow!  Hurray!  Everyone gets their own sink!!

Photos from Week Six

Grandma and Grandpa Reynolds sent the mini-tree for the Elders' room this season - I love the carefully positioned lights!

The lantern decorations are special honors for the zone leaders in Benjamin's zone - this tradition dates back many years.

The tie hanging in the foreground is signed by all zone leaders in Zone 2 - pretty cool!

God is so so so good!  Hyrum Richardson used to live next door to us in Beverly Hills when we lived in Shanghai, China - when Benjamin was in 2nd grade!!  This week, Benjamin taught him in practice sessions with members at the MTC!  Hyrum speaks perfect Chinese, served a mission in Taiwan and finally at the end of the session, he and Benjamin recognized each other!  I can hardly wait to send this photo to Connie Richardson, Hyrum's mom!

A chilly walk to the temple - Winter finally found Utah!

Sometimes Mommy Powers work especially well - I decided that Benjamin would enjoy this favorite of Christmas books much more than the rest of us - the smile says it all!

Another Letter from the Busiest of Busy Missionaries!

NiHao Everyone!

Another great, but kind of crazy week here at the MTC. 

This week we had another district depart, because of some issues involving that, my "tri-panionship" has been a "quad-panionship" with Elder Andersen from the District ahead of us. While at the start I was really stressed about it, it was great to have a more experienced missionary guiding us along for the past week. I learned a lot from his example. He also trained Elder Thacker and I to be Zone Leaders! Yup, new calling! We have already started our new assignment, and our first official act in office is to help orient the new district of SIX ELDERS we're receiving today. It feels like just yesterday I was entering the MTC, and now, I'm in one of the oldest Districts in our Zone! Crazy!

There was a lot happening this week. I've talked in the past about TRC, where we teach discussions to members rather than people pretending to be investigators. At six weeks in, we start doing out TRC sessions over Skype, teaching native Mandarin speakers who live all over the world. My companions and I taught Mei Huang, who currently lives in Melbourne, Australia. It was AWESOME! We challenged her to share her testimony with someone over the course of the coming week, and she was more than happy to accept our challenge. She said that to her, the Gospel is like really good food; once you've had some, you want more, and more, and MORE! I love that! It amazed me that even though I was talking to a woman who lived thousands of miles from where I am now, I still felt the Spirit and the incredible light she shared with us. I learned that the Spirit truly has no boundaries when testifying of truth. 

Christmas is coming, and it is alive and well at the MTC. We sing Christmas hymns practically every day, and most everyone has a mini tree in their room (mine is courtesy of some wonderful grandparents of mine.). We've also been participating in the "Light the World" initiative, looking for small acts of kindness to help those around us. Its been great. Thank you to everyone who has sent me a note, a package, or an email. I love all of you! 

We had a devotional with Pres. Christensen of the 70 last night. Both he and his wife shared powerful testimonies of the Savior, Joseph Smith, and most importantly, the Book of Mormon. They said that if it is true, then everything else about our church is too. It made me question what the restoration means to me, and what it confirms to me about truth. There is always something to learn here if we're willing to look hard enough!

Have a fantastic week! I pray for you and think about you often! 

Heavenly Father loves you!

Love

Elder Butters (Bao ZhangLao)

Photos from Thanksgiving Week!

The elders gather in the lobby for stretching and exercise classes before bedtime study.

Someone fell mid-stretch......practice makes perfect.

The paragraph written in English by Elder Thacker and translated into Chinese below by Elder Butters!  Wow!

Thanksgiving Dinner in the MTC - looks pretty tasty - all reports are that it was good and he had plenty but it didn't quite compare to the feasts he has at home.  That smile says it all, though.  This son of mine is flourishing in the MTC doing exactly what his Father wants him to be doing.

The lights come on at the MTC - this is the Tree of Life!

District 2A

The zone walked to the temple on Sunday and had to hide under a giant tree from the storm raging around them.  Benjamin got everyone to sing hymns under the tree while they waited for a break in the blowing snow.

Yes, there they are....under a tree in a snowstorm heading to the Temple.....can anyone imagine how much I miss that smile?  But, can you imagine how wonderfully grateful I am to see the sparkle in his eyes, the enthusiasm in his words and the happiness in his letters?  So very blessed!!

One Month Along - Loving Life in The MTC

Wei NiHao Everyone!

What a crazy busy and fun week this has been! Its also been one, especially in the past few days, of a lot of learning. 

I know everyone is dying to know about Thanksgiving! It was wonderful! We had a devotional with Elder Niel L Anderson of the quorum of the twelve, and he shared a great message on gratitude. It made me think of all of the little things in life that I take for granted, and don't give my Heavenly Father credit for. He said that the very reason we can move, walk, breath, find joy, and LIVE is all because of Him! When I thought about that, it helped me to feel grateful for all the things that Heavenly Father has given me, things that I will never be able to repay Him for. Puts a lot of things into perspective!

Food was good, as decent as MTC cafeteria could do Thanksgiving dinner. That was followed by a service project. We worked with an organization called "Feeding Children Everywhere" and helped to prep, bag, and box 359,000 meals for children and families in need! I scooped more rice than I ever have done before in my LIFE! I was grateful to be working with food again, seeing as that will be the closest I get to cooking until I'm in the field! The day ended with a little program of musical numbers and skits that was fun. There is also a tradition of turning the MTC Christmas Lights on Thanksgiving Night, and we had some time to be outside and sing and look around! I cannot wait for Christmas!

The rest of the week was pretty crazy, and COLD! On our temple walk, we got to the temple just as a snowstorm hit, so my entire zone huddled underneath one of the massive trees on the temple grounds and sang carols. It was a lot of fun, but cold....very cold....

This week I've had a lot of opportunities to realize that in order to be a missionary, I need to be confident in who I am first, before I can assist my Investigators recognize and feel of their divine potential. I'vealso learned the importance of getting to know them a people instead of just treatign them like a spiritless body I need to fill with testimony and then check off a baptism.

We had some good lessons with our investigators this week, and our teachers shared some very sound advice and reminders to us. Because we are instruments in the Lord's hands, we can expect Him to help us. Isn't it wonderful to know that your Heavenly Father loves you and knows you and wants noting more than for you to be happy? What a miracle! We had a devotional this week where one of the speakers shared with us Mufasa's infamous quote from the Lion King; "Remember who you are!" I challenge you all to try this week to remember who YOU are; and Son or Daughter of a loving Heavenly Father! I'm working on keeping this knowledge in my mind, and I hope it really changes my approach this week!

Also, as the title suggests, I completed my first full month of missionarty service as of Saturday! WHAT? Fastest month of my life!

I love you all! Thank you all for all the mail, pictures you've drawn, the packages and emails you've sent, and the prayers you say for me! 

Elder Butters (Bao ZhangLao)

Photos from Week Number 4

The color-coded instructions used by Benjamin's District on Saturday night while they played a Get To Know You Game .....wish I could have heard some of Benjamin's answers, especially the "green" one.

The District has grown in size and responsibility for this District Leader - this is Sunday at the Temple.

The tripanionship still going strong.....love that smile!!

A cloudy Sunday but nothing seems to be able to cloud the spirits of this missionary.

Perhaps he is happy about the hidden treasures in the box of exercise clothes Mom sent this week.

Study, study, study.....friendships are being made.

Thanksgiving Letter From This Amazing Missionary!

NiHao Everyone!

Firstly, Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow! Its been interesting preparing for this holiday here at the MTC, all of us being encouraged to express more/think more about gratitude. Its a really nice atmosphere to be in. We have a great day planned for tomorrow, I'll share more in detail next week!

Our District is doing great! Our Saturday night schedule has us with a massive studying period from 5:15 - 8:50pm, just before we head off to help set up the gym for devotionals. We've grown to call this period "Grand and Spacious Time." Its long, but we try to be effective. This week we spent the last hour as a district, bringing treats and doing a little "get to know you" session with everyone. We brought pictures of our families and talked about what we want to do after we complete our missionary service. It was so great, and a really nice way to spend an evening. 

We've been teaching a lot this week! On Saturday mornings, we go to TRC, which gives us an opportunity to give short 20min lessons to members who speak our language. Its been challenging to try to find ways to "teach" members a gospel they already know, or who have served missions as well. My companions and I shared scriptures and testified of the power of personal revelation. We were told we did a good job, but need to smile more...yeah, we're all just very focused on trying to understand everything being said. Thank goodness for patient teachers/volunteers! We've also received a new investigator, and have memorized the First Vision and Moroni 10:4-5 in Mandarin. My throat sometimes gets really sore because of all the tones I'm using to speak!

 I gave the lesson in Priesthood on Baptism/Gift of the Holy Ghost, emphasizing the importance of committing to live the covenants we make, and we have a sacred opportunity to weekly renew them. Think abut that the next time you partake of the sacrament!

The devotionals were great this week! Brent H. Nielsen of the 70 was here, and his wife spoke to us. She said that the Lord has been preparing us our entire lives, and that we are entitled to His help as we are on His errand. Its comforting to know how close we can be to the Lord. It replaces my fear with Faith!

I love you all! Happy Thanksgiving!

Jia You!

Elder Butters (Bao ZhangLao)

Photos from Week 3

The District as it now stands.

The study room - seems they have all had enough Chinese for the day.  This mom is glad that the cute girl with the happy smile is the one going to San Fran with my boy.

Studying after breakfast - grammar morning - ugh!!

The California missionaries purchased a flag to show their new allegiance.

And, the box from Dad arrived!  The Zone and District are all trying to be best friends with this lucky missionary right about now.

Three smiling faces greeting Benjamin "every single place he goes"!!

Dried fruit from Grandma and Grandpa Butters hit the spot for this kid! A great week and he is still going strong.....1/3 of his way through the MTC!!